12 BUDGET FRIENDLY NURSERY HACKS

If your new year’s resolution is to create your dream nursery, or even to revamp your current one, this post is for you. We are in the slow, slow process of adopting, so I have had a LOT of time on my hands to work on our nursery. I’m so excited to pass along some of my tricks and tips to you today! We’re on a tight budget, so everything I’m about to share is super low cost and budget friendly.

Don’t buy an expensive set of matching furniture. Instead, mix and match furniture pieces from flea markets and second hand shops. As long as the colors are similar, varying styles don’t matter. The crib I got for just $20 from an online swap site; the armoire I found in the deep discount section of a local second hand shop.

Create more focal depth in your nursery by hanging décor from your ceilings. I made these DIY hot air balloons from paper lanterns and burlap covered party favor boxes for around $2 each.

Instead of bulky, pricy bookshelves you can use spice racks on the wall to display books within easy reach of tiny hands. By showing the book’s cover, instead of the spine, children are more likely to show an interest. These shelves cost me about $7 each from Target.

Instead of buying a changing table, buy a used dresser that is low and wide. This will give you plenty of clothing storage AND a furniture piece that will grow with your child. Simply place a changing mat on top and you’re good to go. This lovely piece of furniture I got off a Craigslist ad for next to nothing.

Instead of expensive crib rail protectors, slit a pool noodle open like a hot dog bun, wrap it in fabric (no sewing needed), and pop it over the your crib rails. Secure with ribbons or zip-ties if needed. It cost me less than $5 to make these.

Instead of buying new pillows, repurpose old throw pillows with new covers. These covers cost me less than $2 each on ebay.

7. Save money on nursery art with simple DIY projects. To recreate these, print any design you like onto an old book page and pop it into a frame. I used oversized matting to help the pages really prop from the walls. The mats and frames I got in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby for around $3 each.

8. Skip a store bought nightlight and make your own. I found a decoupage house and jumbo Easter eggs in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby. A little modge podge, dowel rods, glue and paint… pop in a battery operated tea light…and voila! Now I have a custom nightlight that serves as a focal piece for under $5.

9. Bring the outdoors in! This little bunny is a souvenir from a business trip in Spain. He was getting lost in the rest of the room, so I popped him up on a slap of birch. Nature is full of decorating freebies that will enhance your room without costing a dime.

10. Display your family heirlooms as nursery decor! How sweet is this darling rocking horse? He’s missing a tail and half an ear but we love him just the same. To be fair, he’s not an heirloom from my family, rather he was a flea market rescue that another family was getting rid of. Don’t let that happen to your family’s treasures! Their loss was our gain. Because he’s so beat up they sold him for next to nothing; I think, though, the imperfections are what makes him so perfect.

11. Add space to small rooms by removing the doors from your closet to “grow” the room. This hack cost me nothing but added a desperately needed changing area to this teeny tiny nursery room.

12. Love the look of custom painting but can’t afford the price? I used wall stickers from Target to create effortless, affordable stripes in my closet. For around $10 you can buy a roll of stripes that easily sticks to your wall, and just as easily peels off when you’re ready for something new.

If you saw something you loved that you’d like a tutorial on, feel free to leave me a comment. I love sharing my DIY projects.

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About Kathryn Bailey

Army wife and Air Force Logistician, Kathryn and her husband met while deployed together in Afghanistan. They have a cheeky five-year-old ginger boy and six little ones in heaven that God called home early. They’re currently in the Iowa State Foster Program and hoping someday to adopt. Kathryn’s hobbies include traveling the world (she’s visited 49 countries so far), DIY projects, photography, foot rubs, and peppermint tea.